THE STATEN ISLAND YANKEES DELIVER

During the madness of the trade deadline, while players were being traded away, there was some good going on in Staten Island. One of the great things about being a professional sports organization is the ability to reach people. Some have made it into an art form, being able to leverage it to do some good for their fellow human beings. I got to witness that tonight at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark where the Staten Island Yankees put on a charity event to help raise money for pediatric cancer treatment and research.

To get people to donate, several in the front office and a few of the players agreed to shave their heads. It was great to see everyone turn out and even some of the fans jumped in to participate in the event and support the cause. Ian Fontenot, Marketing Manager for the SI Yankees, was out in front both in explaining why they did this and in getting his head clean shaven.

"We're here to support pediatric cancer and pediatric cancer research. Anything we can do to help the fight for those who are suffering is a positive. It feels great to give back, and that's what we're here for."

The fundraising campaign will be going on through this Friday, August 5, so it's not too late to give. My last check on it has them at about 75% of their target, so they still need people to donate. You can support the cause by going to the team's fundraising page. The Staten Island Yankees are doing this in partnership with the Vs. Cancer Foundation, whose mission is "a non-profit organization dedicated to saving kids’ lives by empowering athletes and communities to fund lifesaving childhood cancer efforts." They are running a campaign with MiLB this year and are encouraging all minor league teams to participate. Half of the money raised from this event will go to national cancer research to help find a cure. The other half will go to the local pediatric ward at SIUH Northwell Health. 

Pediatric cancer is a serious issue. The National Cancer Society estimates that there are about 10,000 news cases of cancer in children in the United States each year. Despite advances in research which have lowered mortality rates, one thousand children are expected to die from some form of cancer. Then there is the burden and difficulties of treatment, therapy, and recovery for the survivors. I have a friend myself whose son has been battling cancer for the last couple of years, As I see the pictures on social media that she posts, I can get an appreciation for how difficult the road is.

I felt honored to be reporting on this event, and I thank the Staten Island Yankees for their work on this. One last thing. I made a note in the last piece on this that I would consider shaving my head as well. As it turns out, my wife used her veto power and I couldn't get the necessary votes to override it. But if down the road someone out there has a good cause and I can help by shaving my head, I wouldn't rule it out!

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @KingAgamemnon